Crescendo
by SongofRejoice
Summary: Austria has had many ups and downs within his life time. From being weak and bullied as a kid, to being married to Hungary, to losing everything after WW1. Follow Austria throughout his life, maybe you'll learn a thing or two about him as well as the other nations. Please R&R! Rated T for possible graphic scenes with blood and gore.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is a new story that I've had floating around in my head and I finally decided to write it out. THIS WILL BE MULTIPLE CHAPTERS as it follows Austria as he grows up. Please enjoy and don't forget to review, please! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or its characters, plot, etc. I only own this idea for the story's plot. Everything else belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya.**

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Deep within the thick, green, woods of central Europe sat a castle. Now, it's not like the fairytale castles you associate from story books. No, this was a large, intimidating structure. It was perfectly square, with high walls made of impenetrable stone. Large towers extended from each corner of the connecting walls. The inside of the castle was dark and cold, always creating a feeling of misplacement. It was designed this was, the owner of this castle did not like visitors to overstay their welcome. In fact, he forced his own children to remain outdoors, in exchange for solitude. He wasn't a bad father, he was just very strict. He raised his children on military strength and harsh training. They had to be strong, if they were to defend themselves from the merciless Roman Empire. This was the house of Germania, Rome's rival, and all of his children.

Outside of the castle, three young children stood clumped together. They were all very different in appearance. One had mousy brown hair, tied back in a low ponytail, and had sharp, green eyes that burned with a fierceness that bore holes through anyone who looked at them. They're entire demeanor shouted out one challenge _"You think I'm weak? Try me."_ The other two boys were no different. A silver haired boy cackled wildly as his red eyes narrowed in mischievous thought. Standing next to him, a blonde looked on with tired green eyes, almost bored with the proceedings.

"Look at how weak he is." The brunette said in disgust, "How can _he_ be one of us? He can't even speak, let alone _swim_. I bet he doesn't even know how to use a sword."

"Absolutely pathetic." The red eyed one agreed. "Where did _Vati_ find him? Rome?" The two broke out in a fit of cruel laughter as they watched the small figure in the distance.

"Come on you guys, he's not that interesting to watch. Let's go practice sparring." The blonde chimed in, a very small pang of sympathy set itself in his stomach. But the other child would get no sympathy; he had to learn to be strong on his own. It was survival of the fittest; only the strong could become countries.

Sighing the brunette glanced once more at the trembling child and turned on his heal. "Yeah, he's really boring. He'll probably be dead in a few months anyways. Why waste our time on him? Come on Prussia, Swiss, let's go." With that, the three children walked back towards the castle, disappearing behind the iron drop gate.

Down by the river, a small child watched them disappear, before slowly standing up out of the freezing water. Those bullies had shoved him into the river when he wouldn't answer them. They had been yelling at him, screaming for him to respond and it scared the boy. With an exasperated huff, the brunette shoved the boy backwards, making him loose his balance. As he tried to regain his footing, the silver haired boy had tripped him, sending him tumbling into the river. He didn't know how to swim so he was left floundering and gasping for air, letting the current carry him downstream. Eventually it had gotten shallow enough to climb out, but by then, the three boys were gone. He shook at the shock of the water touching his body and crawled out onto a bank. Lying on his back, he felt a stinging sensation in the corners of his eyes. Determined not to let any tears fall, he thought over the past few days.

Earlier this week, he had been born. He didn't remember much other than the strong feeling of loneliness that overcame him once he opened his eyes. He had wandered through the mountains looking for something to cure his lonely heart. But now…now he wished he had stayed lonely. A strange man with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes had found him and smiled. 'Hello, Austria of the Mountains. I am your father, and you will come to live with me and your other siblings.' There was no negotiation, but the young one didn't feel the need to. He thought his prayers had been answered and so he silently followed the man who called him Austria. For some reason, that name felt right. It was like he was trying to find himself and that one word provided everything. _Austria_, yeah, he liked that.

Once the man had made it to his destination, he called forth three other boys, all about his age. As he introduced them, the smaller boy began to feel more and more uneasy. The brunette, called Hungary, seemed to be very tough. He sized up Austria with his eyes, frowning in disapproval. Alarmed, the newest family member averted his eyes to the pale boy next to him. His name was Prussia, and Austria immediately didn't like him. He was really loud and obnoxious and his first question was 'Which weapon do you use?' to which Austria only stared blankly at him. The final boy was named Switzerland, and he scared Austria the most. He just stared at the other boy, his green eyes dull and bored, as if he didn't even _care_ that he would have another brother, another housemate, another….friend? Could the Austrian possibly be friends with these boys? The answer was soon clear, no. They all hated him; they hated how he was weak. They hated how he never said _anything_, always to paralyzed in fear to speak his mind. But most of all, they hated how unlike them the little brunette with purple eyes was. He hated battle, so what? He couldn't stand the sight of blood, or any harm coming to another creature, why was that bad? It confused the Austrian and frustrated him so much that he wanted to cry. But he never did, he knew better than to show these bullies how much they've affected him.

With a shaking sigh, the violet eyed boy pulled himself from his memories and sat up. Rubbing his eyes to remove any trace of tears, he began to wobble back towards the iron gate. As he went he wrung out his clothes so he wasn't so wet. Cautiously, he checked for any signs of the three boys before sprinting to his room, up a winding staircase to the top of one of the towers. Once he had reached the dark oak door, he shut it behind him and locked it. Supper would be ready in a couple of hours, but he was no longer hungry. Instead, he crawled into his stiff bed and pulled the covers up, slowly drifting into sleep. The only place he felt happy.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Finally I've updated this story! I was hesitant to post it because there was more I wanted to add but I decided that will be Ch. 3. Anyways enjoy and don't forget to R&R!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or its characters. They belong to Hidekaz Himaruya.**

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Dawn is one of the prettiest sights to behold, especially when all that you can see for miles and miles is the beautiful crimson sky stretching across the horizon. A bright orange sun begins to roll over the hills, touching the dew covered grass with it's warm fingertips, and a calm peace overcomes the wilderness.

Austria loved dawn, even in the few short weeks he'd been alive, he'd learned to wake early to see it. As soon as the sky began to turn grey with the approaching day, he would be out of his bed and upon his hill to watch the breath-taking sight.

Today was no different. After another dreamless night, filled with the only solace and comfort he could find in life, he had awoken and crept out of his father's castle. Grabbing his wool cloak, he had set off to his hill. This hill was hidden, so that none of the other children could bother him. Not even his father knew where this was. The little brunette would sit on his hill for hours on end, watching the birds fly back and forth to their nests. Once or twice, he had even encountered a fawn and it's mother. He loved being with nature, it made him feel so relaxed and, since animals couldn't talk, he found friends in many of the creatures that lived in the meadow below.

This particular morning was going as planned. The small boy sat upon the hill with a little brown rabbit in his lap, petting it's soft fur. He let his mind wander to what technically should be called his siblings, but he felt that none of them were close enough for that term. After his swim in the river the previous day, he was even more cautious to be anywhere near them. Sighing he looked down at the dozing rabbit.

"You don't think I'm weak do you?" came a small, soft voice. The rabbit looked up, twitching it's nose as it acknowledged it was being spoken to. "All of the people I live with say I'm weak. I've tried being strong, I have, but I don't feel like it's getting me anywhere. I just want them to like me...I just don't want to be alone again..." the boy's voice cracked, partially because of it's very restricted use, and partially because of his recalling memories.

He remembered how alone and _cold_ he had felt when he had been brought into the world. He hated that feeling, it was like something was missing inside of him, and he so desperately wanted it to be filled. So he blindly took a strange man's offer and as much as he felt out of place, he was still around other people, and he wasn't alone. That was all that mattered to him, as of now. Sighing again, the boy turned his attention to the rising sun. Smiling softly, he closed his eyes and let the warmth engulf him. Too soon, the sun had risen, and the brunette knew the others would be waking up. He had already missed dinner, and his stomach was gurgling as if to scold him for not filling it.

Slowly, he lifted the bunny off his lap and placed it down in the grass. He watched it hop away before he trekked back to the castle. As he came within a closer range, he heard loud shouts and giggles coming from the dining hall. Gulping, the boy worked up the courage and walked into the room, pushing the large oak doors out of his way. He silently walked to his place at the long wooden table, hoping no one would notice him.

To his dismay, the silver haired boy-Prussia- was eager to play with his new toy. Stalking over to him with a "holier-than-thou" attitude, he hovered over the progressively shrinking form.

"So Aussie," he began in a loud voice. The violet-eyed boy cringed at the incorrect name. "I didn't see you at dinner last night. Wanna tell me where you ran off to?" The other two children had gained interest in this conversation, as they were also wondering, and watched Austria intently. The Austrian sank lower into his chair, glancing down at his feet.

"Still silent, huh?" the crimson-eyed boy pouted, not getting any interesting information. A sudden mischievous glint flashed across his eyes and he leaned on the table. "Are you afraid to eat? Don't tell me you're afraid of food!" Grabbing the cooked chicken on the table, he waved it in the others face teasingly. Shocked, the brunette leaned away from it, only encouraging the Prussian. "Ha! You ARE afraid! How lame is that?! C'mon it's just a chicken, it won't kill you-"

He was suddenly cut off by a loud slam as the doors were thrown open and the man with long blonde hair stepped through the doorway. He did not look pleased as he took in the scene and with a deep breath, he began walking forward. "Prussia. Put the chicken down."

Blinking, the boy set the poultry back onto its plate and trudged back to his chair. Huffing, he crossed his arms and plopped down into the seat, looking down. As the taller man reached his chair at the head of the table, he glanced at his newest son. The boy's eyes widened and he quickly broke eye contact as well, finding a greater interest in the table.

"Austria," came the stern voice. Looking up slowly, the boy acknowledged him. "Stay after breakfast, I must talk to you." Nodding quietly, the small child resumed eating slowly. The rest of the meal was in an awkward silence only interrupted by Prussia and Hungary's rude burps. 'Those boys are disgusting' the Austrian thought to himself on more than one occasion.

Once the children had finished, this man- so named Germania- sent off the three boys to practice their swordplay. Hungary, very enthusiastically, lead the other two boys out of the dining hall. Austria sat in his chair at the table, picking at the remains of his breakfast. The tall man straightened up in the chair and cleared his throat. The small boy glanced up in a curious yet cautious manner, causing the elder to smile very faintly. "So, Austria, how do you like your new home?" he asked.

"I-I like it..." the young nation stated simply.

Nodding in thought, the man pressed on "You aren't one for words are you, boy?"

"No sir. I...I believe that I have not a thing to say in most situations."

"Hm. Your thoughtfulness and self-restraint will serve you well as a nation."

"T-thank you, sir." Austria stated, surprised by the compliment.

"However, that will not give you an excuse to be weak in battle. No child of mine will wield a sword like a toy. Is this understood?"

"Yes, sir."

With a confirming nod, the blonde stood and walked to the oak doors. "Very well, off you go now. Join your brothers in training." he gestured to the door and the boy complied. As Austria was about to step through the threshold, Germania spoke up again "By the way, where have you been lately? You missed dinner."

With a small smile Austria looked over his shoulder and said "Watching the sun." and left without another word.


End file.
